Overview
The Deathly Hallows are among the most well-known legends in the wizarding world. The tale speaks of three wizard brothers who encountered Death himself upon a lonely road and were each granted a powerful magical artifact. Together, these three objects---the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak---make up the Deathly Hallows, represented by a symbol that combines all three: a triangle, a circle, and a vertical line.
Each artifact performs extraordinary feats far beyond the capabilities of normal magic. The Elder Wand conquers all other wands in combat. The Resurrection Stone brings back shades of the dead. The Invisibility Cloak provides true, eternal invisibility that never fades or weakens with age.
The Tale of the Three Brothers
According to legend, three brothers were traveling at twilight when they came to a river too dangerous to cross. Being wizards, they conjured a bridge. Death, cheated of three victims, appeared to them and offered each a reward. The eldest brother asked for an unbeatable wand. The middle brother asked for the power to recall the dead. The youngest, wisest brother asked for something that would let him leave that place without being followed by Death, and received Death’s own Cloak of Invisibility.
The eldest brother was murdered in his sleep for the wand. The middle brother, driven mad by the shade of his lost love, took his own life. The youngest brother lived a long, full life and, when he was ready, removed the Cloak and greeted Death as an old friend.
The Peverell Brothers
The Deathly Hallows are associated with the Peverell brothers---Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus---born in the late 11th or early 12th century. Antioch is believed to have been the original master of the Elder Wand, Cadmus the bearer of the Resurrection Stone, and Ignotus the first owner of the Invisibility Cloak.
However, the Tale of the Three Brothers is just that---a tale. The true origins of these artifacts may reach back much further, perhaps a thousand years before the Peverells ever lived. Legend holds that the Hallows were crafted by Death himself, but this is almost certainly a mythologized account of what were likely the creations of exceptionally gifted wizards.
Significance
The quest to unite all three Hallows and become the “Master of Death” has consumed wizards throughout history. Whether taken as literal truth or allegorical wisdom, the tale of the Deathly Hallows has shaped magical culture for centuries and played a pivotal role in the events of the Second Wizarding War.